LOS ANGELES—One of the most interesting “homecomings” of the season is less than a week away.

The Atlanta Braves will touch down in Phoenix sometime Sunday night, and with them will be the National League’s most valuable player to this point—Justin Upton. Awaiting Upton and the Braves will be a franchise that didn’t consider his talent great enough to retain. Somehow, Upton didn’t fit the profile of the type of player the Arizona Diamondbacks desire.

The Diamondbacks tried for several seasons to trade the ultra-talented outfielder before finally succeeding this past January. General manager Kevin Towers shipped Upton to the Braves for prospects and the versatile Martin Prado.

Not exactly the best way to squash rumors that there was a rift between the player and manager. But it also isn’t a confirmation, considering Gibson is the gruff type and can find malice in even innocent questions.

The belief around baseball is that Arizona got rid of a high-ceiling, mid-20s, affordable player because it was trying to build a roster in the mold of Gibson. For whatever reason, Upton didn’t fit the “Gibbyball” model.

It was a deal that made fans, media and baseball personnel shake their heads. Towers was roundly criticized for not netting a package in return that wasn’t worthy of Upton’s talent and potential. And those critics seemingly have been proven correct. Upton is hitting .278/.384/.635 with 12 home runs, 21 RBI and 26 runs.

That is ridiculous production, not unlike the numbers Upton posted in Arizona. Still, the D-backs felt the need to move him because he either was not a winning player, not gritty enough or didn’t mesh well with Gibson. Team executives will say only that they had needs, and trading Upton was the best way to address them.

“We saw it in Arizona. He can have months where he can carry a ballclub and I think that’s what he did for Atlanta in April,” Towers said. “There was no doubt in our mind that there was talent there, but we had a lot of outfielders and we had a need at third base and we liked Prado and the prospects we got back.

“I’m not surprised what he’s doing. I’m happy for him. I like trades that work out for both sides.”

While the Diamondbacks like Prado, they can’t be ecstatic about his production. He is hitting .234/.289/.358 and had a 72 OPS-plus through Monday (a 100 OPS-plus is about league average).

Upton was a fan favorite during his six seasons in Arizona and led the team to a NL West title with an MVP-caliber season in 2011. He slipped last season, partially because a thumb injury that he elected to play through—so much for not being tough or gritty—seriously sapped his production. But he should receive a warm welcome Monday.

“There are a lot of fans who would have liked to have seen him stay a Diamondback,” Towers said. “He did enough nice things for the organization over the years that I’m sure there will be a (nice) reception at first, but you never know how fans are going to respond.”

HARPER IN THE WRONG

What was the reaction among Bryce Harper’s peers after the Washington Nationals’ left fielder threw up his hands and tossed his helmet and bat Sunday when he was on the strikeout end of a check-swing call by third base umpire John Hirschbeck?

The unanimous answer among the players I questioned: Harper, who was ejected, was wrong.

This surprised me because I thought more players would side with Harper. But his histrionics were too much for players to defend.

“John is one of the good umpires,” one veteran player said. “He (Harper) shouldn’t have done that. It was a little too much, especially when he threw his helmet and broke his bat.”

LET IT GO

Some Texas-based writers and Texas Rangers beat writers still are piling on Los Angeles Angels right fielder Josh Hamilton for his comments about the Dallas-Fort Worth area not being a “baseball town.” The latest fodder: The Rangers lead the AL in average attendance.

It’s time to move on. Josh Hamilton was good to the Texas media for the most part, and he provided the franchise with some of its most memorable moments.

Plus, it isn’t football season yet. The Rangers’ impressive attendance figures might drop when the pads and helmets get dusted off at the youth, high school, college and pro levels.

LOST POWER

Los Angeles Dodgers first baseman Adrian Gonzalez has set the record straight: He no longer is a big-time power hitter. So deal with it.

Gonzalez told the Los Angeles Times that he is sacrificing 5-10 homers a season in order to be a .300 hitter rather than a .280 kind of guy. Dodgers fans might not like that because their team is struggling to hit the ball over the fence, but it could prove positive if Gonzalez becomes the kind of hitter who can compete for batting titles.

K KING

Rangers ace Yu Darvish has a major league-leading 72 strikeouts in 45 2/3 innings, good for a 40.5 percent strikeout rate. That is unheard of for a starter, and the only pitchers with superior K rates last season were relievers Craig Kimbrel (50.2 percent) and Aroldis Chapman (44.2 percent).

Darvish currently leads the league with 14.2 strikeouts per nine innings. The only other starters to finish with a K/9 higher than 13 and qualify for the ERA title were Randy Johnson in 2001 (13.4) and Pedro Martinez in 1999 (13.2).